Chest



April 7, 1936.

Filed Jan. 3, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 EM l Q a, 1 Y m a Inventor:

A H. CzzJSc-hiri A ..B Benson W 9 A. H. CZISCHKI ET AL 2,036,518

CHEST Filed Jan. 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor; A H. C'zz schki 4 A .B Benson Attorney Patented Apr. 7, 1936 FATE.

oFFiee CHEST August H. Czischki and Arthur B. Benson, Elgin, Ill.

Appiication January 3, 1935, Serial No. 280

1 Claim.

Our invention relates generally to a chest which is capable of containing different kinds of articles, and which is particularly adapted to contain clothes and dress accessories, and an important object of our invention is to provide a chest of this character having a top composed of sections which can be opened to give complete access to the interior of the chest, which sections are "also operative to withdraw and re- 10 place trays in the chest.

Another important object of our invention is to provide a chest of the character indicated wherein the trays are moved to out of the way positions when the sections are moved to their 15 open positions, so that the trays do not interfere in any way with free access to the interior of the chest, and without disturbing the contents of the trays. v

Other objects and advantages of our invention 20 will be apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration we have shown a preferred embodiment of our invention.

In the drawings:-

25 Figure 1 is a top plan view of the chest with the lid sections removed showing the trays in position in the upper part of the chest.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line 2-2 30 and looking upwardly in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line 3-3 and looking toward the right in the 35 direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the articulated tray supports.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 generally designates a substantially rectangular elongated box constituting the chest, and supported by feet 6 at the corners provided with casters or free-sliding members 1, whereby the bottom of the chest is supported above the 45 floor.

The top of the chest is open and along the outer side of the upper edges of the chest are secured the spacer strips 8 and 9, respectively, and the transverse strips Ill and II, respectively, these strips having their upper edges flush with the upper edge of the chest. At appropriately spaced points along the longitudinal strips 8 and 9 are secured in countersunk positions the hinge leaves l2 and I3 for engaging with corresponding hinge leaves on the inner edges of the lid sections l4 and I5, the hinge leaves on the lid sections being countersunk in the inner side of the sections so that when the sections are in the fully opened positions which they occupy in Figure 3, the then upper surfaces of the sections will be approximately flush with the upper edge of the chest, and while in the closed positions indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3 the said sections will lie immediately on the upper edge of the chest and on the upper edges of the strips 8, 9, i9, and H, in which positions the free edges of 10 the lid sections substantially meet as indicated to completely close the chest.

At each end of the chest and secured to the inner face of the end wall in appropriately transversed spaced positions are the brackets I6 of the articulated tray supports, by means of which the trays are supported in their raised and lowered position. Each bracket l6 comprises the vertical horizontally elongated plate H from whose lower edge laterally projects a flange I8 which forms the rest upon which the bottom of the corresponding end of the corresponding tray rests while the corresponding lid section is in a closed position. The flange [8 does not extend the full length of the plate ll, but stops 5 short of the laterally inward end thereof as indicated by the numeral l9. Screw holes 20 are provided along the plate H to accommodate fastening screws which are screwed into the end wall of the chest so as to secure the bracket with its laterally outward end close to the longitudinal side wall of the chest as indicated in Figure 3. The plate I! is provided with longit-udinally spaced pivots 2| and 22 to which are ivoted the lower ends of the links 23 and 24, respectively. The pivot 2| has thereon a spacer 25 between the plate and the lower end the link 23 which sufliciently spaces the link 23 longitudinally from the link 24 to permit these links to fold into side by side positions without being distorted or scraping objectionably together.

The upper ends of the links 23 and 24 are connected by pivots 2B and 21 to longitudinally spaced points on the mounting plate 28, the pivot 26 carrying a spacer 29 similar to the spacer 25 for spacing the link 23 sufliciently less longitudinally from the side of the plate 28 to provide proper clearance for the slotted link 30 which is pivoted on the pivot 3| on the same side of the plate 28, so as to give the link 30 5o sufficient working space between the links 23 and 2 and the plate 28 in the collapsed positions of the links which they occupy while the trays are in their closed positions.

The slot-ted link 39 is provided with a slot 32 which engages the pivot 31 on the plate 23 and at the opposite end of the link is pivot 33 which pivotally connects this end of the link with the L-shaped bracket 3 which is secured to the inner side of the respective lid section as illustrated in Figure 3. The plate 28 is provided with screw holes 35 for receiving screws which pass into the corresponding end of the corresponding tray so as to anchor the plate 28 thereto.

The brackets it are placed at such a height and in such a position within the chest, and the links 23 and 2A are of such a length and so connected to the plate 28, and the plates 28 so located with respect to the trays, and the slotted links 36 of such a length and soconnected to the corresponding lid sections that in the open positions of the lid sections, the corresponding tray will be disposed in a horizontal position in which more of the tray is located laterally outwardly of the longitudinal side of the container, so as to procure the greatest access to the interior of the chest. As shown in Figure 3, the link 23 is adapted to. engage the upper edge of the chest in the fully opened position of the lid section so as to prevent the lid section from opening farther, and to hold the corresponding tray in the desired fully opened horizontal laterally disposed position.

The trays 3B and 3 are shallow and elongatedand of such a width that they are transversely spaced from each other while in the closed positions as indicated in Figures 1 and 3. Partitions 38 in the tray 36 divide the same into four main divisions suitable for accommodating different articles of dress which can be folded into a small compass or wln'ch are already of a small size and which it is desired to keep separate from the clothes within the chest or which it is desired to keep in a readily accessible position so that they may be reached without disturbing the contents of the chest. The tray 31 is divided by transverse partitions 39 and by longitudinal partitions 4|, and 42 into a large number of smaller divisions particularly adapted to accommodating smaller dressing accessories so that they will be safely kept in a predetermined order and are readily accessible without disturbing the contents of the chest or the contents of the tray 36. It will be observed that while the lid sections of the chest are closed the slotted links 36 depend in a substantially loose condition so that the trays rest their-weight on the flanges l8 of the brackets l 6,

so that the trays are self-aligning within the chest and are permitted a certain amount of latitude of vertical movement which is an advantage when the chest may be over-filled. There is also advantage in having the links thus loosely engaged. while the trays are in their closed positions, as this permits the trays to align themselves gravitationally on the flanges l8. These arrangements are in nowise to be construed as indicating that the linkage described does not adequately support and operatively engage the parts mentioned, the opposite of this proposition being advantageously true. Because of the proper spacing and location and relationship of the various links and the engagement with the trays and with the lid sections and with the chest, the trays and lid sections are smooth working and are adequately supported and guided at all times,

so that the owner of the chest is not required to exercise unusual care in the opening and closing of any of the lid sections.

Although we have shown and described herein preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be definitely understood that we do not desire to limit the application of our invention thereto, 9

and any change or changes may be made in the materials, and in the structure and arrangement of the parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claim.

What is claimed is:

A chest of the character described, comprising a box portion, a lid composed of two lid sections, said lid sections being hinged to opposite sides of the top of the box, spaced L-shaped supporting brackets secured to the inner side of each end of the chest below the upper edges thereof, a pair of spaced links pivotally mounted at one of their ends to the upstanding portion of each supporting bracket, spacers between said links and said supporting brackets, a tray supporting plate pivo-tally connected at spaced points adjacent its inner end to the free end of each pair of links, spacers between the links and said plates, a slotted link pivotally connected at one end to the upper surface of each lid section in its open position and through a pin connection in said slot to each tray supporting plate adjacent its outer end thereof, and trays supported by said supporting plates.

AUGUST H. CZISCHKI.

ARTHUR B. BENSON, 

